Sewing machine



G. M. LEWIS SEWING MACHINE Mal ch 10, 1931.

Filed May 26. 1927 Patented Mar. no, 1 931 UNQTED STATES PATENT OFFlCEGRIFFITH H. LEW IS, OI WATEBV'LIET, NEW YORK, ASEIGNOR TO WILLCOX &GIBBS SEWING MACHINE 00., OF NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORKSEWING MACHINE Application filed Kay 88, 1827. Serial Io. 184,897.

This invention relates to improvements in sewing machines, and moreparticularly has as its object the provision of means, designedespecially 'for feed-off-the-arm felling sewing machines, for mountingthe elling folder of the machine in front of the presser foot in amanner to enable said folder to be readily shifted-durin any operationor part of an operation w en it is desirable or necessary to put thefolder out of action from its operative or active position to anout-of-the-way inoperative or inactive position in which it will notobstruct or otherwise interfere with the feeding of the work, or withmanipulation and handling of the work and its ready and properpresentation under the presser foot and to the needles.

The aforesaid and other objects and advantages are attained by what isnow believed to be the preferred embodiment of the invention illustratedin the accompanying drawing, wherein. V

Fig. 1, is a perspective view of a sewing machine having a foldermounted on the work arm thereof in accordance with the presentinvention;

' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cufi' end of a. sleeve part1closedby a seam such as made on the mac ine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, is a top plan view of the cover plate of the work arm of themachine and showing also the folder and part of the presser foot; and

Fig. 4, is a longitudi'n'alsection through part of said cover plate.

[n the drawing, the folder and means for mounting the same are shown inconjunction with the commercially well known Feldlock machine of theWillcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company. The hollow machine frame orcasing, shown in Fig. l, includes hollow standards 20 and 21 at oppositeends of said frame, connected by a hollow bridge portion 22. Thefeed-oif-thearm hollow work arm of the machine includes an upper part 23extending horizontally outward from and forward as a continuation of theupper end of the hollow standard 21; a vertically depending part 24.

(only a fragment of which appears in Fig.

1); and a horizontal work-su porting part 25 having a free end ofi whicthe wor is fed. At its upper end the hollow standard 20 extends forwardand constitutes the head 26 of the machine which partly overhangs theend of the horizontal work-s11 port 25 of the work-arm. At the free enof said part 25 of the work-arm there is a throat plate or cloth plate27 having therein suitable slots in and through which operate rows ofteeth of a feed do (not shown), the rear ends only of sai slots showingbeyond the rear end of the presser foot in Fig. 1 Such feeding mechanismoperates to feed the fabric or work along the art 25 of the work arm andtoward and'off t e free end thereof where it passes over the throatplate 27 and under the presser foot.

30 is a hinged presser foot fulcrumed b a screw pivot 31 to the footshank 32 whic is securely clamped to the lower end of a presser foot bar33. The needles 34, 34, clamped to the lower end of needle bar 35,operate through their respective needle openings in the presser foot andcloth plate and cooperate with suitable loo er mechanism (not shown)operating in t e free end of the work arm beneath the cloth late 27. Anydesired or suitable number 0 needles may be used.

A removable cover plate 40 for the part 25 of the work arm has at oneend a beveled 'lip 41 adapted to engage in a correspondingly undercutrecess in one end of the cloth plate 27, and at its other .end saidcover is secured in place by a spring-actuated bolt latch 42 having aconical point adapted to seat in a conical depression in a fixed part ofthe wall of the work arm, as best shown in Fig. 8. By an upward pull orlift on this cover late 4Q at its forward end where the latch olt 42 islocated, said boltwill be er movable or slidable longitudinally of the Iwork arm. A spring plate 54, fastened to slide plate 53, has a roundedpointed detent pin 55 adapted to engage one or the other of twodepressions or seats 56, 57 in the fiat surface 50, thus to hold theslide. plate positively either in its advanced position, when .pin 55engages seat 56, or in its retracted position when pin 55 engages seat57.

60 is a folder of a well known commercial type, having a slot 61 in thebase plate thereof, through which slot a screw 62 passes to fasten thefolder to the slide plate 53 with a limited range of adjustmentpermitted by said slot.

The folder 60 is shown in its forward active or operative position inFigs 1, 3 and 4, with its delivery end close to-the forward end of thepresser foot and the detent pin of the slide plate 53 in engagement withslot 56. But there are frequent occasions when it is desirable tooperate the machine without using the folder during a portion ofan-operation, but with the folder shifted to an inactive out-of-the-wayposition removed from the presser foot, but from which position it mifybe moved back into active position for continuance of the operation.

For example, Fig. 2, illustrates the starting of a seam for closing thesleeve of a garment, such as an overall oneiece suit, or jacket, havinga double thick emmed cuff. Across the cuff the stitches must passthrough eight thicknesses of fabric interfolded into felledrelationship. Hence for this short length there are too many thicknessesof fabric to be passed through a folder adapted to operate eflicientlywith half as many thicknesses in the main lengths of the seams.Therefore, the folder is Withdrawn or shifted to an inactive position bysliding the plate 53' to the right until its detent pin 55 engages seat57. The operator then has space and clearance between the delivery endof the folder and presser foot in which to arrange and manipulate thefabric clear of the folder to begin and complete that portion of theseam across the cufi", whereupon, and without stopping the machine, shemay slide the folder forward to its active position in a manner to causeit automatically to engage properly the two edges of fabric which itwill thereafter interfold in felled relationship in continuing the seam.In repairing defective places in felled seams it is also highlyadvantageous to be able to move the folder from oneof its said positionsto the other.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a sewing machine, the combination .of stitch forming elements; apresser foot;

a work-arm having an approximately horizontal work-supporting part; workfeedingmeans for feeding work along said worksupporting part of the armpast the presser foot and stitch forming elements; and a folder movablymounted on said work supporting part of the arm in front of the presserpresser'foot operate; work-feeding means for feeding work along saidwork-supporting part of the arm past the presser foot and stitch formingelements and off the free ,end of said part of the arm; and a foldermovably mounted on said work supporting part of the arm in front of thepresser foot to move a proximately longitudinally of said part 0 the armfrom an active position close to the presser foot to an inactiveposition removed therefrom.

p 3. In a sewing machine, the combination of stitch forming elements; apresser foot; a work-arm having an approximately horizontalwork-supporting art free at one end; Work-feeding means or feeding workalong said work-supporting part of the arm past the presser foot andstitch forming elements; a detachable and removable plate along saidwork supporting part of the work arm in advance of the presser foot; anda folder movably mounted on said plate to move approximatelylongitudinally of said part of the work arm from an active positionclose to the presser foot to an inactive position removed therefrom.

4. In a sewing machine, the combinationv of stitch forming elements; apresser foot; a work arm having an approximately horizontalwork-supporting part free at one end at which said stitch formingelements and presser foot operate; work feeding means for feeding workalong said Work-supporting part of the arm past the presser foot andstitch forming elements and off the free end of said part of the arm; adetachable and removable coverplate along said work supporting part ofthe arm in advance of the presser foot; and a folder movably mountedfrom an active positionclose to the presser l foot to an inactiveposition removed therefrom.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination of stitch forming elements; apresser foot; 2;, work-arm having an approxlmately horizontalwork-supportin part free at one end. at which said stitch ormingelements and presser foot operate; work-feeding means for feedin workalong said work-supporting part 0 the arm past the presser foot andstitch forming elements and off the free end of said part of the arm; adetachable and removable cover plate along said work supporting fpart ofthe arm in advance of the presser oot; a slide plate slidably mounted onsaid cover plate to move approximately longitudinally of said part ofthe work arm; and a folder mounted on said slide late and. in front ofthe presserfoot, where y movement of the slide late in one directionpresents the folder in active position to the presser foot and in theother direction moves the folder to an inactive position removed fromthe presser foot.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination of stitch forming elements; apresser foot; a work-arm having an approximately horizontalwork-supporting part free at one end at which said stitch formingelements and presser foot operate; work-feeding means for feeding workalong said work-supporting part of the arm past the presser foot andstitch forming elements and off the free end of said part of the arm; adetachable and removable cover plate along said workfsulpporting art ofthe arm in advance 0 presser oot; a slide plate slidably mounted on saidcover plate to move a proximately longitudinally of said part of t ework arm; a folder mounted on said slide plate and in front of thepresser foot, whereby movement of the slide plate in one directionpresents the folder in active position to the presser foot and in theother direction moves the folder to an inactive position removed fromthe presser foot; and detent means for holding the slide plate in saidactive or inactive position of the folder,

7 In a sewing machine, the combination of stitch forming elements; apresser foot; a work-arm having an approximately horizontalwork-supporting part free at one end at which said stitch formingelements and presser foot operate; work-feeding means for feedin workalong said work-supporting part 0 the arm past the presser foot andstitch forming elements and off the free end of said part of the arm; aplate slidably mounted on said work-supporting part of the work arm inadvance of the presser foot to move approximately longitudinally of saidpart of the work arm; and a folder mounted on said slide plate and infront of the presser foot, whereby movement of the slide plate in onedirection presents the folder in active position to the presser foot andin the other direction moves the folder to an inactive position removedfrom the presser foot.

8. In a sewing machine, the combination of stitch forming elements; ateaser foot; a work-arm having an approximately horizontalwork-supporting part free at one end at which said stitch formingelements and presser foot operate; work-feeding means for feedin workalong said work-supporting part 0 vthe arm past the presser foot andstitch forming elements and off the free end of said part of the arm; afolder carrier mounted on said work-supporting part of the arm inadvance of the presser foot to move approximately longitudinally of saidpart of the work-arm; and a folder mounted on said folder carrier and infront of the presser foot, whereby movement of the folder carrier in onedirection presents the folder in active position to the presser foot andin the other direction moves the folder to an inactive position removedfrom the presser foot.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

' GRIFFITH M. LEWIS.

